


A Change of Heart

by YadonushiRyou



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, M/M, Sort Of, change of heart, just a spooky thing i revamped, monster world rpg, uhh i dont know how tags work im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 19:29:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20158876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YadonushiRyou/pseuds/YadonushiRyou
Summary: Ryou agrees to play a game with Bakura, finding it oddly familiar. However, he realizes too late that it might not be a game he can win.





	A Change of Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I made this a while ago but I reread and edited it and honestly?? Im super proud of this hehe. 
> 
> Enjoy!

The night was quiet. A little too quiet. It shouldn’t have been this quiet in the apartment, and it shouldn’t have been so quiet in Ryou’s mind. The Spirit was drawing him in. He was trying to make him wonder why things were so off, so quiet.

And it was working.

Ryou tried to ignore it. He didn’t want to have anything to do with whatever kind of plan the Ring Spirit had in store for him, but that was just the thing. Quiet meant the Spirit was planning. Ryou didn’t want to be taken by surprise. He had certainly lasted the whole day, but now the night was too taunting, too silent. The sound of Ryou’s glass making contact with the wooden kitchen table was what made him crack.

“What are you doing?” The boy asked out loud, not taking his eyes away from his reflection in the tea between his hands. He liked to feel the warmth of the steam on his face. It took a good moment for Ryou to get a reply.

“I’m not doing anything. Haven’t you noticed?”

“That’s not true. I’m not new to this. You’re never this quiet, and when you are it’s never a good thing. Just come out, will you? I hate talking to myself.” Ryou took a sip from his mug, and when he put it down the face, so similar to his own yet so different, appeared across the table. They stared at each other in silence. Ryou was first to break it.  
“So? What are you doing? I don’t need anymore surprises in my life.”

The Spirit stared back at him with a stoic, emotionless expression. “Are you deaf? I already told you. I’m not doing anything. Unfortunately.” He sprawled out over the table, drumming his translucent fingers on the wood. Ryou noticed he was doing a surprisingly good job at hiding his smirk. “I’m bored,” The Spirit then said.

“Ah.” Ryou pushed his drink away and crossed his arms, brow furrowed in irritation. “I knew it. There's something else. Something to follow it isn't there?” 

The Spirit looked up at Ryou then, a symmetrical grin spreading across his face. “Ah.. I can’t get anything past you, host, can I?” He hummed, “Of course, we do share a mind. We can never be too far away from each other’s thoughts.” The Spirit sat up straight again, tilting his head as he seemed to study Ryou. “I just wanted to play a game with you.”

Ryou was unimpressed. “No. You cheat. I’m not doing anything with you.” The boy rolled his eyes and pushed his chair out, abandoning his warm tea as he walked away from the table. “I just want to go to b-” 

As Ryou approached the hall, the Spirit stood in his way. Ryou narrowed his eyes at him. “I just want to go to bed,” he repeated.

“And I just want to play a game,” The Spirit challenged back. “And, frankly host, I don’t think you have much of a choice seeing that we share a body and mind.”

Ryou hesitated. The Spirit was right about that. Suddenly Ryou felt tense, coming up with walls of defense. “A body and mind that only one of us takes care of. As that one person, I think it’s best for our body and mind to rest. So move out of my way.”

Much to Ryou’s surprise, the Spirit did.

“Fine,” He said, “Go to bed. You need energy for this game anyway. We can play tomorrow.” The Spirit ruffled Ryou's hair before vanishing, the Ring around Ryou’s neck glinting when he looked at it. 

Huh. Who would have thought it was that easy?

Ryou sighed and continued his walk to his room, plopping down carelessly into his bed. He took off the Ring and stared at his ceiling a moment before he shut off the light. 

Ryou couldn’t remember if he'd shut his eyes or not before the walls around his room began to crumble and a bright light entered his vision. He felt like he was falling suddenly, and a soundless scream left his throat.

No longer was he in bed. No longer was he in his room.

When Ryou landed, there was dust around him. He coughed and sneezed and waved the dust away so it wouldn’t get in his eyes. Hesitantly, he squinted, but his eyes were quick to widen at the sight around him.

“I’m sorry, precious host. I just really wanted to play tonight.”

Ryou rose to his feet, his astonishment and amazement occupying his mind more than any anger. Before him was a path divided into squares-- like a board game. To his right and left were trees. Forests it seemed. In the distance, Ryou could see a castle. 

Ryou’s hands balled into fists.

“Spirit!” He screeched, looking above him as he knew that was where the Spirit would be. He seemed to enjoy looking down on Ryou every chance he got. “Stop this! I’m not playing this game with you!” Ryou felt the ground rumble beneath his feet as he heard a chuckle surround him.

“But you’ve already started! Come now, host. I’ll stay true to my word. I’ll play nice. I’ll even make it interesting.”

The Spirit suddenly appeared in front of Ryou, though he was still a translucent, ghost-looking thing.

“Precious host, let’s make a deal. Face to face. If you beat me, I’ll reward you. I’ll tell you anything and everything you want me to. I’ll even share the secret of the Items with you-- But,” The Spirit walked forward, his fingers tracing along Ryou's distraught face.”You have to complete the entire game. You have to play by my rules, but it’s all fair in the end. The only way you can lose is if you give up.” The Spirit pinched Ryou’s cheek. “And I just know how much you love getting in the way and outsmarting me. So now is your time to shine, eh? Not for your friends. For yourself. All you need to worry about is you.”

Ryou took a step back, looking at Bakura warily and uncertain. “I..” He bit his lip. The only way out was to play. There were no other options. Compromising was the only way to get started safely. “Fine. Fine, I’ll play.” He looked around again. Everything looked so… Real. Nothing like he remembered when Yugi and his friends were here. “What do I have to do?”

The Spirit before him grinned, gesturing behind himself to the rest of the setting. “Why, all you have to do is collect the treasure at the castle. I’ll even keep it outside the door for you. Pick up a gold coin and we’ll discuss your prize. Really, host, I’ve practically handed you this game. I even made it just for you. There's no need for you to roll dice, only me. There aren't even any silly little monsters.” The Ring Spirit started to vanish as he laughed, and Ryou could see his face forming and coming together above in what used to be empty sky.

“Let The Game begin!”

Ryou stood in his place for a moment, comprehending what he'd been told. It didn't seem that bad. It was easier now, for he didn’t have to worry about the lives of his friends. Just himself. Besides, he created this game. He knows every single secret passage, clue, and short-cut. Perhaps the Spirit forgot about that part.

Ryou started on the path, walking in the direction of the castle. It was eerily quiet, and as he approached the first village, he stopped. “That’s weird,” he murmured to himself. “There should be player pieces here.” Ryou made a face, a look of uncertainty, and decided to enter the empty ghost town. Again, the uncanny feeling of reality set in, for everything around him seemed and felt as real as if he were actually there and not just exploring an imagination within his own mind. The wind picked up and blew his hair back, and leaves were tossed across the ground. 

Ryou remembered, then, that he had a hidden item in this village that could help him on the way. He approached a small shack and entered it. Still, there was no villager or shopkeeper to greet him. Ryou figured Bakura may have just took them out of the game or something. 

With the knowledge of a hidden ‘skip ahead’ type token, Ryou looked around the shack and tried to remember how he’d written it. In a chest? A cabinet? Did a villager have it? As Ryou searched the shack, he felt a tickle on his arm. When he looked, he swiped off a rather large spider and watched it crawl away. He frowned. He didn't remember putting in any kind of spider creature. Ryou was quick to shrug it off, though, and continued searching. Spiders didn’t scare him.

Or, at least, he didn’t think they did.

He felt another tickling on his leg. A moment later another on his other arm. He found himself constantly swiping at his limbs and wiggling about to make the sensation go away. He saw nothing when he looked, though. There weren’t any spiders there. 

There was a mirror in the room, and Ryou just barely glanced at it before it grabbed his attention.

The tickling turned into pinching, and in the mirror he saw dozens of spiders on his back and arms, but when he went to swipe them away, there was nothing there. Bugs didn’t usually bother him, but seeing things that weren’t there did.

That’s sort of how he grew up, after all.

Ryou couldn’t stay in the shack anymore. The pinching and burning became overwhelming, and it felt like the shack was getting smaller around him. Ryou, still swatting at his arms and legs, ran for the door, and fell down the three stairs in the front. He was rolling in the dirt and wanted to make sure the bugs were off of him.

A chuckle rumbled from above again.

“Host, what are you doing? You’re wasting precious time. I thought you, of all people, would know that isn’t a wise choice.”

Hearing the Spirit brought Ryou back into reality (or at least, the RPG reality), and he breathed. After inspecting his body and confirming the burning and pinching had stopped, he glared up at the sky. He could no longer see Bakura’s face.

“You said there wouldn’t be monsters! What do you call those? Those were definitely not normal spiders!” Ryou dusted himself off and stood. He felt defeated. He didn’t get the token he wanted, and time had been wasted. “That was a dirty trick,” he mumbled.

“Trick? Why, host, I did nothing of the sort. I didn’t put any kind of spider in the game. You must have been seeing things.”

Ryou clenched his jaw and narrowed his gaze, deciding it best to hold his tongue than to argue with the spirit. It was over with. He needed to get back on track.

Rather than walking, Ryou started to jog along the path. In the sky, he could see a time bar. It looked like something that would be on a video game. He figured the Spirit put it there to taunt him. It was working, though. The bar was almost halfway gone.

Ryou had to take a break. He was out of breath and his side was cramping. Physical activity wasn't really his thing, but still… This was a game. He shouldn’t feel anything unless he was being attacked by some kind of monster. He would know. He’d played this game before.

Upon his break, he came across the second village in the game. A second village meant an opportunity to find something to help him get to the castle. It looked so far away, and Ryou wasn’t so sure about getting there in time.

Perhaps Ryou was overconfident, or maybe he was distracted and wasn’t thinking. He went into the village and searched for a specific house-- One that held a time token. It would fill the lessening bar above him. When he came across what he was looking for, he felt uneasy. There was a small child, a little girl, sitting outside. Ryou didn’t have time to reconsider before she saw him.

“Hello!” She called out to him in an odd, robotic-sounding voice. She was a game piece after all. Ryou wondered what the Spirit was planning with this one.

“Hi,” Ryou said, already disconnecting himself from the situation. It was hard speaking to children that reminded him of the past. He knew, though, she most likely had the time token. “Do you need any help?” He then asked.

“Why, yes! Thank you for asking. Would you mind helping me with my chores? I’ve only got to wash the dishes.”

Ryou sighed. He nodded. “Yes. I’ll help you with your chores.” He walked over to the cottage-looking house and was met with the eyes of the little girl. She looked too real to be a game piece. Thankfully her voice made that distinction. “We’ll have to be fast, okay? I have chores of my own I need to do.”

The little girl led Ryou inside, and Ryou’s breath got caught in his throat. The house wasn’t what he expected it to look like. It looked like..

His childhood home.

Ryou turned around to leave, but the door disappeared. It wasn’t there anymore. Ryou swallowed hard, closing his eyes. His fingernails dug into the palms of his hands.

“Spirit, you can’t-You can’t do that,” He whispered. Ryou shut his eyes, opening them when he felt a tug on his shirt. The little girl looked different now. Ryou couldn’t look away. He knew she was speaking, probably asking him a question, but he couldn’t comprehend it. His eyes were playing tricks on him. This wasn't real. Amane was gone. 

“Spirit!” Ryou forced himself to shout, shutting his eyes again. “What are you doing? You can’t-This isn’t a game anymore!” 

Ryou’s body was nearly shaking, and he felt tears gather. Ryou wasn’t going to cry, though. He knew better than to show that kind of weakness to the Spirit.

“Host, it sounds to me like you’re giving up,” The Spirit hummed, sending shivers down Ryou’s spine.

“I’m not! I-I’m not giving up, I just-” Ryou bit his lip. Despite the mental anguish, Ryou knew he still wanted answers. He needed to know why all of this-- The Spirit, the magic, the Pharaoh-- was happening. The Spirit would keep his word, wouldn’t he? He would have to if this was a game. That’s how the games and deals worked. 

When Ryou opened up his eyes, though, everything was gone. It was only darkness. Ryou was relieved, but also anxiousl. 

“I think you have. Honestly, Ryou, I don’t think you would have been able to take another step into that house or say another word to that girl without falling apart.”

Ryou looked around, turning his body and trying to see into the darkness. There was light around him, but it did little to comfort him. It made him feel vulnerable, like he was in a spotlight. “Spirit I-You didn’t-”

“I didn’t give you a chance? No. Of course not. I know what’s best for my host. I have to take care of you after all. You need guidance.”

As Ryou took steps backwards, he bumped into something. It felt.. Weird. It was a body. It gave off heat. He turned around and was met face to face with the Spirit. Something didn’t seem right. Ryou felt somewhat disoriented. Confused. 

Maybe.. Maybe he did need guidance.

“If you really want to, I’ll let you finish the game a different way.” Bakura held up a deck of duel monsters cards. Ryou squinted, but didn't ask about them yet. “Seeing as you are unable to complete my game, I will allow you to make a choice. Pick one of these cards randomly, and get a chance to win. Winning means you do not give up. You follow through with your fate. Or you can walk away right now. Walk away now with no consequences. Understand that, if you do accept, and you lose-” The Spirit snorted with amusement. “Well, you’ll have to play by my rules for as long as we’re together. Clearly, if you can’t even beat me in a game, you cannot beat me any other way.” 

Ryou stared at him, licking his lips and nibbling his tongue. Had he been in a calm state of mind, Ryou would have walked away. He would have just lived the way he had been, no big deal. 

But Ryou was vulnerable. He felt like the Spirit all of a sudden knew what made him tick, as if he hadn't known before. Ryou felt exposed. He felt like he was being looked down upon and would be for the rest of his life. Ryou wanted to prove the Spirit wrong. He wasn't weak. He wasn't afraid. And he could certainly finish playing whatever stupid game the Spirit wanted him to play. “I’m playing,” he said, to which the Spirit grinned.

“Well, then. Come on and show me what you've got, Ryou Bakura.” The deck was shuffled and displayed in front of Ryou. “Pick a card.”

Ryou was confused, but supposed it would be further explained. He picked from the top, figuring fate might be on his side.

It wasn’t.

“What is it, Ryou?” The Spirit asked, the darkness surrounding them fading away and revealing hints of walls and furniture that belonged to Ryou’s room. 

“It’s… The Change of Heart?” He looked up at the Spirit, brows furrowed. “What does that m-”

Ryou gasped. A sharp pain shot through his back and shoulders. Ryou's body started to shake. “What-I didn’t lose did I?” He asked in desperation.

The Spirit chuckled at first, and it grew into laughter. “Why, Ryou, you’re only just beginning! Don’t give up so soon. You’ve still got the rest of the transformation to endure!”

Before Ryou could ask another question, he heard a crack. It didn’t register with him that it came from his own bones until he felt the incredible pain moments later. A pain so intense his legs wobbled and gave way. He was sweating now, his breathing heavy. 

Another crack, another snap.

“Spirit!” Ryou screamed, not even noticing that he was back in his room, on his hands and knees, fingers digging into and ripping the carpet. “What-What is this?! What-” Ryou whimpered as another something snapped inside of him. “What is happening?!”

If the Spirit answered, Ryou didn’t hear him. Whatever was breaking inside of him broke the skin, and Ryou hunched over. There was a warmth on his back, and he knew that it was blood dripping down his sides. It felt like spiders crawling on his skin.

The tension in Ryou’s hands was enough to break his fingers. He was pulling out the threads and shag of the carpet. He couldn’t take it anymore.

“Spirit! Stop! Please, make it stop!” He wailed, twitching and flinching when more of his skin was stretched and split apart. He squeezed his eyes shut, and, when he opened them, there was a single black feather being waved in front of his face.

“You chose it, precious host. How fitting that it would be your favorite card. Would you like to see for yourself?” The Spirit laughed again and snapped his fingers. Ryou's room was gone. The carpet beneath him turned into a cold hard floor. 

“Look!” The Spirit kneeled down and grabbed Ryou’s face, turning it to the side. “Look much you’ve endured! Surely you can go the rest of the way.” 

Ryou forgot the pain momentarily when he saw himself. Growing out of his back were a pair of wings. Nothing like he thought it would be. The feathers were patchy, soaked in blood. The bones of the wings stuck out in sharp, jagged points. To Ryou’s horror, they were still growing. It seemed like they weren't even halfway done. 

“Spirit, please!” Ryou begged, shutting his eyes when it, once again, felt as though his entire body was being moved around and broken apart. “I-I give up! I can’t take it!” 

“But Ryou,” The Spirit hummed, leaning in close to Ryou’s ear. “You don’t have a choice anymore. You’ve already lost. Your body is mine.”

The Spirit’s laughter grew louder and louder, until all Ryou heard was a ringing in his ears. He panted and screamed, and it didn’t seem like the pain was ever going to stop. He could feel his bones twist and crack, some kind of force pushing the wings out of his body and breaking more of his skin. He could hear his flesh moving and peeling away, and could smell his own blood. 

It never stopped hurting, but it felt like the wings had stopped growing. Ryou hesitantly looked at himself in the mirror again, but quickly shut his eyes. He couldn’t see behind his tears anyway.

“Don’t be so quick to think it’s over, Ryou,” The Spirit seemed to murmur, his voice sounding so gentle, but his words were threatening. “I have one question for you.” Ryou forced himself to stay on his wobbly arms as he felt the Spirit crouch in front of him. He could feel his body heat. Spirits didn’t have body heat. 

“Whose body is it?” The Spirit asked, lifting Ryou’s chin with his index finger. “Is it yours or mine?”

It was then that Ryou realized what was going on. This wasn’t just something the Spirit thought of in a day. He was planning this for a long time. He didn’t want Ryou getting in the way anymore. He needed him to fall, to give up, to be afraid to interfere with the Spirit’s plans. Worst of all… It was working. But Ryou didn’t want to admit defeat, especially now with a chance to redeem himself after begging for the Spirit to allow him to give up. Ryou looked the entity in the eyes and spoke as clear as his sore, shredded throat possibly could.

“Mine.”

The Spirit clicked his tongue in response. “I see,” he said, standing up and walking over to Ryou’s side. “Maybe this will change your mind.”

Without a warning, Bakura grabbed one of Ryou’s new wings with both of his hands and snapped it in half. Easy. Like a twig.

Ryou didn’t hear himself scream.

Ryou’s eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up.

He couldn’t see anything.

He was panting.

He was sweating.

He was in bed.

After a moment of feeling himself- Head, chest, and arms- Ryou reached his arms around to feel his back. There was nothing there. Ryou let out a very long, heavy breath of air. He was okay. It was just a bad dream. A nightmare. But everything felt so… Real. 

Ryou rubbed his eyes and felt dampness on his face. Of course he was crying in his sleep. It was horrifying. He reached over to his nightstand and switched on the lamp, illuminating a small area of his room. Slowly, he got out of bed and double checked everything, just to make sure. Everything seemed to be the same. He no longer felt pain, and he didn’t feel any growths on his back.

As he walked towards his door, he noticed something black on the ground. When he reached down to pick it up, his chest tightened. 

It was a feather.

“Spirit..?” He called out softly, but he didn’t need an answer after he spoke. His voice echoed. 

Ryou’s eyes widened and he gripped his door handle and yanked it open.

There was nothing in the doorway. Just empty space. 

Empty, silent space deep inside of Ryou’s mind.


End file.
